Water closet valve actuating linkage



June 12, 1962 I A, D. MCFARLANE WATER CLOSET VALVE ACTUATING LINKAGEFiled July 1, 1959 INVENTOR. ANDREW D. MCFARLANE 1% w mvfll dlqATTORNEYS United States Patent U 3,038,168 WATER CLOSET VALVE ACTUATINGLINKAGE Andrew D. McFarlane, 2514 Bay City Road, Apt. 13, Midland, Mich.Filed July 1, 1959, Ser. No. 824,346 4 Claims. (c1. 467) This inventionrelates to water closets and more particularly to an actuating mechanismof improved construction for operating the valve by means of which wateris permitted to drain from the tank.

Water closets of the kind in general usage comprises a tank in whichwater is adapted to be contained until such time as a toilet with whichthe closet is associated is flushed. At this time a valve normallyseated at an opening at the bottom of the tank is lifted by an actuatingmechanism so as to permit water in the tank to drain into the toilet. Innearly all of the water closets adapted for residential use, the valvelifting mechanism is controlled by an operating handle which extendsthrough a wall of the tank so as to be manipulated from outside thetank. The mechanism on the inside of the tank usually comprises a leverarm connected to the operating handle in such manner as to be rockable.The lever usually is provided with some means, such as a loop or thelike, which is adapted to receive an upstanding stem connected to thevalve so that rocking of the lever in one direction will lift the valveoif its seat.

In water closets of the kind under consideration, the operating handleshould be mounted at a height on the tank which is above the normalwater level in the tank so as to avoid any possibility of leakage aroundthe opening which accommodates the handle. The lever thus is mounted ata substantial distance above the bottom of the tank. In conventionalconstructions, the lever extends more or less horizontally towards thevalve stem to the point where it terminates in the loop or other stemreceiving part. This construction, however, requires the valve stem tobe exceptionally long and in many cases the valve stem is composed oftwo parts, that is, a pair of links connected one to another. Such aconstruction is undesirable for several reasons, one of which is thatthe extra length of the valve stem requires the provision of multipleguides in an elfort to secure truly vertical movement of the valve so asto be sure that it will seat properly. Another defect of the knownconstructions is that the making of the valve stem in multiple partsfrequently results in the stem parts binding on one another in suchmanner as to effect an over-all shortening of the stem, with the resultthat the valve will not seat properly.

An object of this invention is to provide a water closet valve actuatinglinkage which overcomes the disadvantages of known constructions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a linkage of the kindreferred to which is so related to the stem of the valve that the stemlength may be kept to a minimum.

A further object of the invention is to provide a linkage of the kinddescribed wherein the valve lifting part functions as a guide for thevalve during movements of the latter.

A further object of the invention is to provide a linkage for actuatinga toilet flush valve which is simple and economical in construction andyet which assures positive seating of the valve.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed outspecifically or will become apparent from the following description whenit is considered in conjunction with the appended claims and theaccompanying drawing, in which:

3,038,168 Patented June 12, 1962 FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view partlyin front elevation and partly in section, disclosing apparatusconstructed in accordance with the invention and assembled withconventional water closet parts;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged detail of a portion of the structureshown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 2.

Apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention is adapted foruse in conjunction with a conventional water closet or tank 1 havingfront and rear walls 2 and 3, respectively, spaced apart by side walls 4and a bottom 5. The bottom is provided with an opening in which isreceived a pipe 6 leading from the tank 1 to a toilet bowl (not shown)in the conventional manner. The opening in the bottom of the tanknormally is closed by a hollow ball valve 7 of conventional constructionhaving a vertically extending valve stem 8 secured thereto andprojecting a substantial distance above the valve 7. It is customary toprovide a guide ring 9 through which the valve stem slidably extends,the ring being supported by an arm 19 which may be mounted in anysuitable manner on a part of the tank structure.

The front wall 2 of the tank 1 may have an opening therein through whichextends a hub portion 11 of an operating handle 12. In order to preventthe possibility of leakage of water through the opening thataccommodates the handle portion, the opening should be so located as tobe above the normal level of water in the tank.

A valve actuating linkage formed in accordance with the invention isdesignated generally by the reference character 13 and comprises a leverarm 14 fixed at one end to the operating handle 12 so as to be rockablewith the latter about the axis of the hub '11. In the illustrativeembodiment of the invention, the other end of the lever 14 telescopinglyreceives an operating member 15 which is composed of a sleeve part 16having an opening therein of such size as snugly, but slidably, toreceive the end of the lever 14 and be adjustable relatively thereto.Both ends of the sleeve preferably are open so that the member 15 may belocated at any desired place on the lever 14. The sleeve part 16 isshown as being split as at 17, but it may form a closed loop if desired.

Rigidly connected to the sleeve part 16 is an actuating part 18 which isso located relatively to the sleeve 16 as to make with the latter aright angle. The free end of the part 18 is provided with an opening 19which is of such size as slidably to receive the valve stem 8. As isperhaps best shown in FIGURE 4, the upper end of the valve stem isenlarged as at 20 to prevent passage of the valve stem completelythrough the operating part 18.

To condition the apparatus for operation, the operating member 15 isplaced on the lever arm 14 and adjusted relatively to the latter so asto be located at a position where the opening 19 is aligned with thevalve stem 8. The apparatus 15 may be secured in the appropriateposition on the lever .14 by means of a set screw 21. Alternatively, anyother known and convenient securing means may be used.

When the apparatus is conditioned for use, the valve 7 will be on itsseat at the opening in the bottom of the tank and the tank will containits normal supply of water. The operating part 1-8 will be locatedslightly below the enlargement 20 at the upper end of the valve stem 8and it will be noted from FIGURES l and 2 that, although the lever 14and the sleeve 16 are inclined to the horizontal, the operating part 18lies in a substantially horizontal plane. The purpose of thisconstruction will be pointed out subsequently.

When it is desired to drain the contents of the tank, the handle 12 isrocked counterclockwise so as to impart corresponding movement to thelever arm 14. The operating part 18 will engage the enlarged upper end20 of the valve stem 8 and lift the valve 7 off of its seat andthereafter rise rapidly in a conventional manner. As soon as the valve 7has been raised from its seat, the handle 12 may be released, whereuponthe weight of the lever 14 will return the handle 12 and the lever totheir normal positions. This will restore the operating part 18 to itsgenerally horizontal position. As the water flows through the drain pipe6, the valve 7 will move downwardly and it will be guided in itsdownward movement both by the guide ring 9 and the opening in theoperating member 18. When all the water has run out of the tank 1, thevalve 7 then will drop on its seat to close the opening. Positivealignment of the valve 7 and its seat will be assured by the cooperativeguiding of the ring 9 and the member 18, and the ability of the part 18to lie in a horizontal plane enables the opening 19 to be only slightlylarger than the diameter of the rod 8, thereby promoting proper guidanceof the valve.

Although it is preferable to form the lever 14 and the actuating member15 in separate parts, they may be integrally formed if desired.

The disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred formof the invention, but is intended to be illustrative rather thandefinitive thereof. The invention is defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. An actuating linkage for a water closet valve having a stem, saidlinkage comprising an elongated operating lever terminating at one endin an operating member, said operating member having a first portionextending longitudinally of said operating lever and a second portionattached to said first portion and extending laterally therefrom andsubstantially normal thereto, said second portion having an openingtherein of a size approximating but larger than the cross-sectional sizeof said stem so as slidably but snugly to receive said stem, said secondportion also being angularly related to the lever and to said firstportion in such manner that when said second portion occupies asubstantially horizontal position said first portion is inclined to thevertical.

2. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein said first portion ofsaid operating member is telescopingly mounted on said lever, andincluding means reacting between said first portion and said lever formaintaining said member on said lever at any one of a number of selectedpositions and adjustment.

3. The construction set forth in claim 2 wherein said operating memberis bent intermediate its ends to form said first portion and said secondportion.

4. The construction set forth in claim 3 wherein said first portioncomprises a sleeve open at both of its ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,627,608 Edwarde Feb. 10, 1953 2,856,610 Kunkle Oct. 21, 1958

